It's that time of year again - (how times flies by!) as many of our precious Jewels head off to our National Convention. This year we will be warmly welcomed by Leda and her crew in Leduc, Alberta.
Some Jewels will visit family and friends while others will be heading off to the famous West Edmonton Mall and the closer, outlet mall by the airport while many will explore Leduc. The one thing everyone will be doing is catching up with friends from across the country. There will be so much laughter and hugs everywhere.

Photos of the weekend adventures will be posted here to share with those unable to attend.

 The history of the CJCS doll...

For those not familiar with her, our doll was first presented by Darlene Yurchuk at the 2nd national convention, which was in Brandon, Manitoba, in 2011. At the time, she was wearing only a diaper and was wrapped in a blanket. Darlene presented the doll to the Regina Jewels, who were hosting the next convention in 2012, saying that this doll was symbolic of the 9 months of work that had gone into creating the Brandon event. At the Regina convention, some clothing was added to her wardrobe.  The tradition is that the host convention committee pass her on to the next convention committee after adding something to her, and the dates and cities of each convention have been added to the bottom of her cape. When Darlene presented the doll to the Jewels in Regina, she named her Regina.

Sue Schierer embroidered Quebec 2019 on her cape and added a sash with her new name “Ms. CJCS”. Unfortunately, our poor Miss CJCS lived in storage in Okotoks waiting for us to finally unite after Covid, in Lethbridge. I imagine after missing two years she will be adorned from head to toe in diamonds! She also has a “travel bag” which was made by Joanne Legault member no. 3134.

As following tradition, Elaine Hill to passed our Miss CJCS to Carol Torkoff and after adding to her wardrobe and embroidering the date of the 2023 convention on her cape, Carol would then turn her over to Cathy Pidduck, Chair of the 2024 National Convention.

It has been decided that the doll is large and cumbersome for those who are travelling by air and it's just one more thing to carry and as we know, airlines are cracking down on what we may carry on board.

Sadly, 2024, at our 15th Anniversary Celebration, Miss CJCS will retire.

Hopefully, Lady Canada will be able to take her place. Lady Canada has her own page here on this website so please check her out and see what she's been up to!

May 2024

 We are all excited to be looking forward to the 2024 National Convention in Penticton, B.C. this coming September - the weekend of September 13-14. Your committee has been working very hard the past two years with hotel negotiations, planning, and coming up with creative ideas to entertain you.

One of the highlights is the trolley ride to the Wine Village where many merchants will show off their wines. (B.C. is famous for it's fine wines)

 Just remember to register well in advance to join this fun activity as tickets are limited. The first trolley sold out in just a few days.

 If you've never been to Penticton it's a beautiful town at the bottom of Lake Okanagan, surrounded by fruit trees and vineyards. 

 Come Cruise with the Jewels!

 We are finally going to be able to travel together again and a cruise to the islands and new Panama Canal has been planned. This cruise is similar to the one planned two years ago but there are a few changes in the itinerary. It is a 10-day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale with Princess.

An email was sent to all Jewels but watch the newsletters for information too. The February and March newsletters will carry the details.

Remember to book early as prices go up as you get closer to the sailing date.

 We are so excited to be hosting a Spring Luncheon in Mississagua, Ontario in June. Tickets are selling quickly. Your Regional Representative, Myrna will be in attendance as well as the CJCS Founder, Lynda.

Come and see your sister Jewels from all around. It's been way too long since we've all been together so this is an exciting event.

This event is being held in a location adjacent to Square One Shopping Center so come from out of town and spend the night and shop for a new spring/summer outfit! Make a girl's weekend out of it!

We are all just so excited to be planning events at last and looking forward to getting together at last! Hope to see you there. Registration information was sent to all of our Jewels in Ontario. If you need another copy, please contact crownjewels@telus.net  - Hope to see you there!

Join us as we celebrate freedom from Covid restrictions and finally unite once again for our National Convention and Annual General Meeting, to be held in September,2022, in Lethbridge, Alberta.

We are looking forward to finally reuniting with our sister Jewels and meeting new friends.
What a celebration it's going to be.

For complete information, check the monthly newsletter or contact your regional representative.

If you are not yet a member of this exciting society of Canadian women who love to have fun together, check us out at:

www.crownjewelsofcanada.com

Use the "contact us" form for information.

For those who just can't wait that long, register to attend the Provincial Convention being held in Olds, AB in May. Jewels from all provinces are welcome to attend!

 

GIRLFRIENDS & FUN ARE SO VERY IMPORTANT -

ESPECIALLY AS WE TRY OUR BEST TO COPE WITH THE ISOLATION OF COVID

The Head of Psychiatry at Stanford gave a speech on the relationship between stress and disease. He commented that “one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious. Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin--a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well-being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or their personal lives but are more than willing to discuss their jobs, sports, cars, fishing, hunting or golf. But their feelings? Rarely. Women do it all the time. We share from our souls with our sisters, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. True! There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we’re hanging out with friends, we’re wasting our time and should be more productively engaged - not true. In fact, failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking! So what’s holding you back? Join us today! Every time we get together we are doing something good for our health!

We are Different, 
and here is why...

We recently received a note from a professional writer who was doing online research and stumbled across our website. He was intrigued, and as a result he wrote an article about our Crown Jewels group and sent us a copy of his story.  

He mentioned that the Crown Jewels of Canada Society is similar to Red Hat Society, but we disagree. 

In his article, references were made to the fact that we are a federally registered non-profit society, which is correct, while the RHS is a privately-owned corporation, in the business of making money.  As a non-profit we are not in the business of making money and collect just enough in membership fees to cover our expenses. The initial membership is $15 (registration fee of $5 and the annual membership fee of $10). 

The CJCS differs greatly in many ways. In fact there is little similarity other than we are all about women socializing and having fun and supporting each other. Unlike the RHS, we release our financial information to our members, we have a Board of Directors who oversee the operations of our society, and directors are elected by the membership.  Any significant changes such as an increase in membership fees must be voted upon by the members at our Annual General Meeting.  We listen to our members, and our members have a say.

Our By-Laws and subsequent update of our by-laws, that govern our operation, are subject to approval by the members and were written in coordination with the laws of the Government of Canada for National Non-Profit Societies, and our lawyer who is always available to guide us. We have also have our lawyer available to assist our members, at no charge to the member(s) when required.

We also offer an insurance program for our members. Any member is welcome to participate in the Crown Jewels Member's policy for a nominal annual fee. This is an important perk for all members but especially for those planning events, booking event locations, chartering buses, hosting events, etc.

As a Canadian National Non-Profit, membership is restricted to Canadians, and women living in Canada.

EXCITING EVENTS TO ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR!

What exciting times ahead!
Just a few of the activities our "Jewels" have planned are shown below:

The Purple Hat Tea, Regina, SK 

The Cheeky Chicks Lawn Bowling Extravaganza: Theme - The Royal Babies 

Play "Steel Magnolia" at the Actors Studio,

Paint Night with the Gems,

Poker/Wine Run Car Rally with Tour of Wineries

Ontario Provincial Convention in Kingston, Ontario

CJCS National Convention in Quebec City

Prince Edward Island Convention October 25-26-27, 2019 with the theme "Halloween"

CJCS 10th Anniversary Celebrations across Canada in the fall

Maritime Chapters Convention, Fall 2019

All of these fun activities in addition to chapter monthly events across the country!

It's all about having fun together!!!

It's time..

And they're off....

A group of Crown Jewels members are off today starting their latest adventure. This time to Ixtapa, Mexico. May you all have safe flights and a wonderful holiday together.

Registration is now open...

2018 National Convention registration is now open!! Reserve your hotel rooms and complete the forms and get them into the mail while space is still available.

Welcome to a new year and new beginnings for all our new Jewels who have joined us this year. 

 

2018 HAPPENINGS

 

January 22, 2018 - Registration for our 9th Annual National Convention opens!
This year we are headed to Regina, Saskatchewan. We hope that you will be joining us for the CJCS "Olympics" - check out the convention website for details.

 

This spring, our Founder, Lynda Millard, and Vice President, Sue Schierer, are heading off on a road trip across Canada visiting many chapters and members as they travel. In Ottawa, Board Member Myrna Christensen will join Lynda as Sue returns home. Lots of fun events along the way have been planned.

 

Sue and Lynda are also planning to visit many members in British Columbia on a mini-road trip in April. 

 

We have so many new members as we enter 2018, many of them in Ontario. Welcome!! The more the merrier! 

 

Next week a large group of Jewels fly off to Ixtapa and just days ago another large group returned from Puerto Vallarta. 

 

Whatever your plans, have a wonderful time!

 

Remember...

Our Administrative Assistant, Melanie is always available to assist you as are your Regional Representatives. Your Board is always happy to hear from our members and Lynda, our Founder, can be reached by our toll-free number at any time. We love to hear from our members. 

 

Share your photos from your chapter events in our newsletter. Send them by the first of the month to your Regional Rep.

WHO ARE WE?

Who are we?
What are we all about? 
What do we do?

Take a peek at our first magazine!

Click here to find out!

Click on the little box in the lower right corner that looks like this to enlarge to full size for easier reading.

What we are all about - FUN

Who are we? What are we all about?

Click here to find out...



.

TIME OF MY LIFE

As the song in Dirty Dancing starts out:

"Now I've had the time of my life

No I never felt like this before"

There couldn't be truer words perhaps, but not for the reason as in the song. 

Today I am going to write about one reason we REALLY NEED THE CROWN JEWELS.
I just got off the phone with a friend, the husband of a girl I've known since high school. Our families lives though have been intertwined since the early 1700's.
She is very ill and they don't know why. She's going through very thorough medical testing in New York. Her husband asked me to call her and hold her hand as she needs me.

The Queen of our chapter is going through a nightmare of a time right now with a husband who is critically ill, going through radiation and chemo in preparation for very intricate surgery. All her days are consumed with getting him to and from the hospital for treatments and appointments with Doctors.

I know several Jewels who are presently fighting cancer and other ailments. Some struggle quietly while others reach out to friends, family and Jewels for support. We all handle stress and illness differently, in our own way, the way best for us.

I've had my own medical battles the past five years and both my husband and I must now be tested every six months for cancer. Our youngest son has just had surgery and is critically ill. We are there to help him, his wife and care for their two small children as often as we can. The stress is overwhelming and it makes us realize how silly it is, some of the things we normally worry about.

This week I found out that another friend has died and another, in Montreal is ill and now his wife has fallen and required surgery. She is supposed to be his caregiver and now she needs her own help.

This is our live now. We are at that age, when these things begin to happen all around us and to us and our friends and even family.

This is why WE NEED THE JEWELS and why it is important to look around at our friends and encourage them to join too.

We need friends. We need support. We need to know someone cares.

Last night I ran into a friend who's sister-in-law lost her husband not long ago. Thankfully for her, she lives in a smaller town, where she has friends and neighbours to help her: because they know she is suddenly alone. Women in a large city are often "lost" - people just assume they haven't seen them lately because they are busy with their own life but all too often they are sitting at home, lonely, afraid, or just plain numb. We all need friends. We all need someone who checks in periodically to see how we are doing. 

Belonging to a CJCS chapter means you are invited to an event at least once a month and someone reaches out to tell you the plans and hopefully, if you don't respond, someone will be in touch to ensure you are okay and just busy that month.

Aging isn't easy. It gets lonelier each year that we get older.

Let's do it together!

Please, call a friend today and invite her to join your chapter.
She needs you, she needs us.

On behalf of your Board of Directors and Regional Representatives, we wish to wish our Jewels and their family and loved ones, a very

MANITOBA & N-W ONTARIO REGIONAL REP

A warm welcome to our newest Regional Representative, Cheryl McKitrick, who will represent Manitoba and N-W Ontario.

As someone recently described her, Cheryl is an an amazing, beautiful, kindhearted, fun, smart and exuberant woman and I will add caring, confident, fun, upbeat to the description of Cheryl. We are honoured that she has taken on this position for the Crown Jewels of Canada Society and thank her. I know that the members in Manitoba are happy to welcome Cheryl as their leader and she will definitely work to bring them back into a warm and happy Circle of Friends.

If you met Cheryl at convention, (she was the Master of Ceremonies) you will know that being near her will be being in an upbeat fun environment. Never a dull moment and she will have lots of hilarious stories to share! No, life is never dull when Cheryl is around!

The 2018 CJCS National Convention will be held in
Regina, SK beginning September 20th, 2018.

This event will be hosted by Marion Patterson the the Regina Rebel Rowsers & friends.
Mark your calendars Jewels, and start saving!

The above is a copy of the Iron-On Proof that was given to each person attending the 2017 Convention Committee.
The (blue) is clear rhinestones and the crown is purple, and the red maple leaf is red representing Canada's 150th Annive
rsary.

We will wear it with pride!

We have a limited supply available for sale.
You may order one of these. The cost is $15.00
Ordering information is in the October newsletter and in The Jewel Box.

Its time!

Yea! It's time to start packing, fill the car with gas
or download your boarding pass.

Convention is just around the corner.

Your Convention Committee has been working hard and are putting the finishing touches on decorations and plans. They're loading their cars with the gazillion boxes they have to move to the hotel (yes, it is just about a gazillion! We were stunned when the truck pulled up to the hotel in Vancouver and said that the entire load was "ours")

Please stop and say hello to your Board members and Regional Representatives, when you pass us and remind us of who you are and where you're from.
We love to meet our members.

And don't forget to thank the Convention Committee, and thank them more than once too, for all they have done to make the weekend a grand success.

SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!

If going to Convention you might want to check out our "CJCS Canada 150" iron-on transfer which is a special design in honour of Canada's 150th birthday.
We have a limited supply available (if delivery is not delayed due to the hurricane!!)
A purple crown on a red maple leaf with clear rhinestones around it.